I recently listened to a podcast by Rangan Chatterjee with Brian Mackenzie (How your breath affects the way you burn fat – The importance of a daily 45 walk with your mouth shut) – and it mentioned the benefits  of nasal breathing whilst walking and it made me realise the powerful benefits of simply breathing through your nose. I’ve since tried to do this more on my daily easy walks before work etc and I have noticed a difference to my walking experience and state of mind. I thought I would summarise the benefits for others if you haven’t come across the idea of nasal breathing before.

What Is Nasal Breathing — and Why is it So Effective?

If you’ve ever finished a walk feeling tired or out of breath, your breathing technique might be the missing link. Nasal breathing — inhaling and exhaling through your nose instead of your mouth — is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to upgrade your health.

When you breathe through your nose, the air is filtered, warmed, and humidified before it reaches your lungs. This helps protect your airways and increases nitric oxide production, a natural compound that widens blood vessels and improves oxygen delivery.

Studies show that nasal breathing enhances oxygen efficiency, reduces heart rate, and improves endurance — all without needing to walk faster or longer. (BBC Future, 2023)

The Proven Benefits of Walking

Before we dive into the combination, let’s remind ourselves why walking is so good for you.

According to Harvard Health and the Mayo Clinic, a 45-minute walk can:

• Strengthen your heart and lower blood pressure

• Improve metabolism and insulin sensitivity

• Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression

• Support bone, joint, and muscle health

• Boost your energy and focus

Walking regularly is linked to lower risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even early mortality. It’s accessible, free, and highly effective — now let’s take it up a notch.

The Science-Backed Benefits of Nasal Breathing While Walking

When you combine a steady 45-minute walk with nasal breathing, something powerful happens — you don’t just move your body, you regulate your entire system. Below are the main, research-supported benefits of this simple but transformative practice.

1. Improved Oxygen Efficiency and Lung Function

Nasal breathing helps your body make the most of each breath. The nose releases nitric oxide, a natural compound that expands blood vessels, improves circulation, and boosts oxygen uptake.

Because the air moves more slowly and deeply, you use more of your lungs — not just the upper part that mouth breathing relies on. This improves gas exchange, meaning more oxygen reaches your muscles and brain, and more carbon dioxide (CO₂) is expelled efficiently.

Over time, you’ll find yourself able to walk briskly with less effort, fewer shallow breaths, and greater endurance.

2. A Calmer, More Balanced Nervous System

This is one of the most powerful — and underrated — effects of nasal breathing.

Every breath you take is a direct signal to your nervous system. Fast, shallow breathing (common with mouth breathing) activates your sympathetic nervous system — the “fight or flight” mode. It’s useful in short bursts but exhausting when chronically triggered.

In contrast, slow, steady nasal breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the “rest and digest” state. This shifts your body chemistry:

• Heart rate slows

• Cortisol (stress hormone) drops

• Digestion and recovery improve

• Blood pressure stabilises

Researchers at Stanford University and in clinical breathing studies have shown that controlled, nasal-based breathing reduces anxiety and improves heart rate variability — a key indicator of stress resilience.

When combined with gentle rhythmic movement, like walking, this creates a feedback loop of calm. Each step and breath synchronise, grounding you in the present. It’s similar to a meditative state — but easier to access because it’s built into natural movement.

Over time, regular nasal-breathing walks can rewire your stress response, helping you stay calm under pressure and recover faster from emotional or physical strain.

3. Better Fat Metabolism and Endurance

A 45-minute walk keeps your heart rate in the moderate “Zone 2” range — ideal for fat burning and endurance. Nasal breathing supports this by preventing your heart rate from spiking too high, which can happen with mouth breathing.

By breathing more slowly, you maintain balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide — the body’s cue for efficient energy use. The result? You burn more fat for fuel, conserve glycogen, and build long-term aerobic fitness.

Elite endurance athletes often use nasal breathing during training to improve metabolic efficiency — and the same principle applies even if you’re just walking in the park.

4. Enhanced Mood, Focus, and Mental Clarity

Walking already has a proven ability to lift your mood. It increases endorphins, boosts serotonin and dopamine, and reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. But when you pair it with nasal breathing, these effects amplify — because you’re directly influencing your brain chemistry with every breath.

Slow nasal breathing increases CO₂ tolerance, which helps maintain stable blood flow to the brain. This means more oxygen reaches the prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for focus, emotional regulation, and decision-making.

A 2023 BBC Future article reported that nasal breathing patterns can even synchronise with brain rhythms, improving memory and concentration. It’s why controlled breathing is central to meditation, yoga, and mindfulness — but when done during a walk, it becomes accessible, effortless, and enjoyable.

Many people describe nasal-breathing walks as a “reset button” for the mind. The steady rhythm of footsteps and breath quiets mental chatter, helping thoughts untangle and emotions settle.

After 20–30 minutes, you often feel clearer, calmer, and more optimistic — not because anything external changed, but because your physiology shifted into balance.

5. Stronger Lungs and Airway Health

Nasal breathing naturally adds a touch of resistance, like a gentle workout for your lungs. This strengthens your diaphragm and respiratory muscles, increasing lung capacity and resilience.

Because the nose filters and humidifies air, it also protects your airways from dryness, pollutants, and pathogens. Over time, nasal breathers often experience fewer respiratory irritations and improved sleep quality.

If you tend to breathe through your mouth or snore, daytime nasal breathing can help retrain your default pattern, promoting better oxygenation and recovery even while you rest.

6. A Holistic Reset for Body and Mind

Together, these effects create something greater than the sum of their parts. A 45-minute walk with nasal breathing is part workout, part meditation, part therapy. It improves cardiovascular fitness and lung function, stabilises your nervous system, boosts brain chemistry, and helps your body find equilibrium.

It’s a practice that doesn’t just make you fitter — it makes you feel more human.

How to Practice Nasal Breathing on Your Walks

If you’re new to it, nasal breathing can take a little getting used to. Here’s a simple 45-minute routine to ease in:

1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Walk slowly and focus on breathing only through your nose.

2. Main walk (30 minutes): Pick up the pace to where you can still talk in short sentences. If you need to open your mouth briefly, that’s fine — the goal is gradual adaptation.

3. Cool down (5–10 minutes): Slow your pace, deepen your nasal breaths, and enjoy the calm, steady rhythm.

Try to maintain good posture — relaxed shoulders, upright chest — and focus on how your breath and steps sync together.

Common Challenges (and Fixes)

If your nose feels blocked or breathing feels hard at first, don’t worry — that’s normal.

• Start slow: Build tolerance gradually over days or weeks.

• Use saline spray or nasal rinses to clear congestion.

• Stay patient: As your nasal passages open up and your diaphragm strengthens, it becomes second nature.

The Takeaway: Small Change, Big Impact

Walking and nasal breathing are two of the most natural things we can do — yet when combined, they unlock a synergy that supports your heart, lungs, metabolism, and mind.

It’s a free, accessible practice that can improve endurance, calm your nervous system, sharpen focus, and support long-term health.

Next time you head out for a walk, leave the earbuds at home, close your mouth, and breathe through your nose. It’s a simple shift that can change how you feel — one breath at a time.